Donation Liaison

Overview:
Gift of Hope is proud to serve as the federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization (OPO) that coordinates organ and tissue donation and provides compassionate service to families of donors in the northern three-quarters of Illinois and northwest Indiana.

Since our inception in 1986, we have coordinated donations that have saved the lives of more than 23,000 organ transplant recipients, and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of tissue transplant recipients. As one of 58 organ procurement organizations that make up the nation’s organ donation system, we work with 183 hospitals in our donation service area.

The Donation Liaison position develops and maintains a positive donation culture with the assigned hospitals(s) thereby assisting in achieving donation goals. This position is responsible for ensuring that all donors and potential donor families are offered the opportunity for donation through the collaboration of both internal and external partners. Additionally, this position will facilitate the gift of donation through policy implementation, evaluation, authorization and family support before, during and after the entire donation process.

Compensation range for this position is $62,913 - $70,777 annually

**Responsibilities**:
The following essential functions are the basic job duties that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation.- Advance Gift of Hope’s mission, vision and core values: providing compassionate service, contributing to outstanding teams and engaging as one of our passionate people committed to a positive culture that embraces diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Adhere to all policies and procedures in carrying out the responsibilities of this position.
- Organ/Tissue Authorization Responsibilities
- Respond to organ and tissue referrals at assigned hospitals and throughout Gift of Hope’s Donation Service Area
- Conduct accurate, effective early onsite/phone evaluations
- Review hospital charts and current records of potential donors for medical eligibility/suitability
- Participate in medical rounds with neuro and trauma services and facilitate necessary testing and services
- Conduct Patient Care Conferences with hospital staff during critical points in the referral and/or authorization process
- Assess medical status and determine organ donor potential per Gift of Hope criteria in conjunction with the Administrator-on-Call (AOC) and/or Gift of Hope Medical Director
- Document findings and follow-up plans in hospital charts; communicate same to hospital staff while on site
- Communicate pertinent information with Donor Resource Center and AOC
- Effectively and efficiently gather patient clinical and social/emotional information for evaluation purposes
- Determine legal next-of-kin and/or decision maker
- Facilitate donation of donors in first-person registry; guide family to help them understand the donation process
- Develop rapport with donor family
- Compassionately provide information about the benefits of donation to potential organ donor families to authorize organ and/or tissue donation; meet minimum authorization rate
- Counsel families through donation process and provide support during and after the donation process and provide outcomes post-op
- Participate in departmental quality assurance initiatives
- Hospital Development Responsibilities
- Function as an expert resource within the hospital on all aspects of organ and tissue donation
- Meet with hospital QA team to conduct weekly and/or monthly medical record review of missed opportunities for donation
- Establish and maintain meaningful relationships with hospital staff
- Collaborate with hospital administration to develop and implement plans to optimize hospital performance
- Track hospital results to monitor progress and modify plans as needed
- Review and analyze key donation outcomes to identify areas of opportunity
- Develop solutions to issues that impede the donation process
- Facilitate hospital programs and committees that influence organ and tissue donation
- Develop and present professional education programs such as hospital unit-specific presentations, physician in-services, medical grand rounds, hospital ethics committee presentations, etc.

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:
**Education and Training Required**

The following identifies the minimum education and training required to perform the essential functions of the job.
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Allied Healthcare field, business administration, education, advocacy or related field; or equivalent work experience

**Experience and Skills Required**

The following indicates the minimum skills and experience required to perform the essential functions of the job.
- Confident and comfortable in the presence of emotional distress, dying and death
- Ability to interpret verbal and non-verbal communication, and to demonstrate sit